The Aleutian Kayak: Origins, Construction, And Use Of The Traditional Seagoing Baidarka

The Aleutian Kayak: Origins, Construction, and Use of the Traditional Seagoing Baidarka

Review"... the first-time builder will have little trouble making his or her boat... This is a book for those whose love of things natural has made them long for a change from the perfect glossy sameness of the mass-produced boats." -- Atlantic Coastal Kayaker"Descriptions are clear, the photos illustrate the finer points, and the drawings offer helpful hints." -- Canoe & Kayak"When I build my [baidarka], Wolfgang Brinck's book will be on my workbench." -- Cunningham, Chris, Sea KayakerFor true traditionalists, here are the first complete plans and detailed building instructions for authentic Aleutian Kyak--the ancient voyaging and hunting craft of the nomadic Unangan of Alaska. Based on originals in museums in Oregon and California, these lightweight (35 Pounds, 17 feet long) skin-on-frame sea kayaks can be built to fit the owner's exact dimensions, using simple hand tools and readily obtainable materials, for less than $200, including paddles, spray skirt, and traditional paddling jacket. Known as Baidarkas among the Russian settlers of Alaska, these unique native American craft evolved over centuries to carry heavy loads swiftly over long distances in wind and wave--ideal for modern sea kayakers looking for an alternative to plastic replicas of short-range Greenland-style boats.From the Back CoverWhether you're a hard-shell kayaker looking for an inexpensive, seakindly alternative, or a tradition-minded sea kayaker attracted to the look and feel of organic boats, this book's for you.Skin-and-frame baidarkas have been used as hunting craft in the Aleutian Islands for thousands of years, their elegant yet simple design allowing hunters to take extended offshore voyages in treacherous waters. The light baidarka--a 17-footer weighs just 35 pounds--is a great cruising boat, with lots of space for gear and a forgiving hull shape that's easy to build.The Aleutian Kayak tells you everything you need to know to build an authentic baidarka in your basement or garage for $200, a fraction of what it would cost to buy an assembly-line plastic boat.You don't need woodworking experience or an elaborate tool collection. If you can learn to use a handsaw, a block plane, and a drill, you can build a baidarka. And you don't need exotic materials. Author Wolfgang Brinck has used scrap lumber from home remodeling projects for the deck beams of his last few boats.Here are clear, step-by-step, extensively illustrated instructions to guide you through the process--from buying materials, tailoring the boat to fit your body, building the frame and deck, and sewing the skin. You'll also find instructions on building a paddle, sewing your own paddling jacket and spray skirt, making repairs, and using you baidarka."This is a book for those whose love of things natural has made them long for a change from the perfect glossy sameness of the mass-produced boat."--Atlantic Coastal KayakerWhen I build my (baidarka), Wolfgang Brinck's book will be on the workbench."--Christopher Cunningham, Editor, Sea Kayaker"Nature failed to provide [the Aleuts] with the material necessary for boats, that is, wood; but on the other hand, as if in compensation, she gave them greater ingenuity for the perfection of a special new kind of fleet: the baidarka."--Ivan Veniaminov, 1840" . . . The baidarka has survived intact across oceans, cultural boundaries, and time. Those who choose to build these craft today, whether for six weeks or for a lifetime, join in a collective journey whose beginnings as an interglacial experiment remain as mysterious as the origins of human intelligence itself."--from the Foreword by George B. Dyson, Author, Baidarka